


The Princess and the Phoenix

by angelbot



Category: Marvel (Comics), Marvel (House of M)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - House of M, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-10
Updated: 2015-05-04
Packaged: 2018-03-07 01:20:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3155522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelbot/pseuds/angelbot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jean Grey is an astronaut who encounters something in space that changes her forever. Wanda Magnus is the only human daughter of Magnus, Supreme Ruler of the House of M. Pushed together by circumstances, they must work together to find out the mystery of Jean’s newfound powers. </p>
<p>Warnings for: Fire, Depiction of Violence, Derealization, and Minor Character death.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Liftoff

“Mom, Dad, I’m going to space.”

Jean had never really intended to be an astronaut. It was something that had just sort of happened. What had begun as a simple enough pursuit of an engineering degree had lead to a job with the Genoshan Air and Space Administration. Then an engineer was needed for a routine trade expedition. And they selected Jean.

“Oh sweetie, we’re so proud.”

It wasn’t really that big a deal, she told herself. Trips to space were becoming more and more common nowadays. Mutants were better handled towards space travel, they said, although Jean had no idea how her weak telekinesis was in any way suited to space travel.

“Take some pictures for us, will you? They say it’s a hell of a view.”

The months of preparation had been grueling, and Jean found herself questioning why she had even said yes. Then she immediately thought of reasons to do it anyway. She’d already told her parents, wouldn’t they be disappointed? And if her job failed, space would look good on a resume, wouldn’t it?

“Grey, are you listening? We’re just about to launch.”

Oh, right. Back to the present. Jean sighed.

“Oh, sorry. I guess my mind just wandered a little.”

Jean smiled nervously, attempting to defuse the situation. In return all she got was a grunt.

“Ok, you are ready for lift off.”

It didn’t really feel like much. Like being in a car that was accelerating. What was, however, noticeable was the noise. It was everywhere, not overpowering, but the thrum of the rocket fire reminded Jean where she was.

“You never quite get used to it, you know. “

She smiled. At least someone was friendly on this ship.

“And we’re past the exosphere, into space.”

The ship was quite silent after that. It was to be expected, really, with all of them not knowing each other very well. Jean couldn’t help but stare out at the stars even as they flashed past in a whirlwind of light. After all that time, she was really in space now, and—

“What is that? You do see that, don’t you?”

Jean whipped around. On the other side of her, out the window, something orange was glowing out. It looked like a bird.

“It could be a sun, but I don’t think there are any here…”

No. That wasn’t it. It was moving towards them. No. Moving towards her.

“Oh my god. Oh my god. Genosha, come in. Genosha, come in.”

It’s too late, she thought. Whatever it is, nothing can stop it.

“This is Spacecraft 5381 from Earth. We are in an emergency situation, I repeat, an emergency situation. Anyone who can hear us, please, please come in.”

She looked outside and all she saw was fire.

“Grey, what’s happening to you?”

_It reaches out and it touches her, fills her with life. The flames scorch her body, vibrate in her bones. Stars pour down her throat and the galaxy seeps out of her eyes. She sees life, the cosmos, and she can barely hear them screaming._


	2. Landing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reeling from what she just discovered in space, Jean struggles against a strange and powerful entity fighting against her for control of her body as she crashes back to earth. A flaming bird is seen in the sky, and SHIELD's best agents are sent to fight against.

 

Jean  thought she was asleep, but she couldn’t say for how long. All around her were torn pieces of metal. None of them were on fire, she noticed. But there had been so much fire. Then she remembered that fire couldn’t exist in space’s vacuum.

_She and it, it and she, they look around, see the wreckage. See the bodies. She flinches, it looks on._ **WE MUST KEEP GOING** _, it tells her. She tries to ignore the voice, and yet it fills her very being._

Jean looked down. She was no longer in her spacesuit. Instead she was wearing a form-fitting green suit with a gold sash, with a bird-like emblem on it. No doubt she should have been dead by now. Suddenly she was jolted forward.

**YOU WILL NOT LISTEN.** _It rushes her forward, even as she lags back, dragging her towards the Earth. Stars rush around them._

Jean didn’t understand what was happening, but she feared for what would happen once she returned to earth. The power surging within Jean was too much for her, and she was aware that she was fighting for control of her own body.

_Earth comes into view. They rocket towards the planet, and crash through the atmosphere. Flame engulfs them and forms a winged shape. They land, and it looks at her._

***

Jean could hardly see through the flames, but it did register where she was going. The impact on the earth was negligible, a soft touch to the ground and nothing more. The flames began to clear, spreading out and scorching the earth around her. She was in a forest, and she was probably in Genosha, judging from what she saw as she was heading down.

“Sugah, a whole lotta people got worried when ya went off in the sky like that.”

Jean whipped around to see that there were four people behind her. The one speaking was a brunette with a strange streak of white in her hair. Behind her were two blue people, one with red hair and the other with a tail. In front of her was a short man with dark hair and a wicked smile.

“Stay back,” Jean said, taking a step back herself and holding her hand out as if to shield herself. “I might hurt you.”

“Well, darling, if you might hurt us, who’s to say who you won’t hurt?” growled the short man.

The redhead nodded. “I’m sorry, sweetie, but with what you just did, we can’t have you threatening Genosha,” she said matter-of-factly. “Rogue, would you--?"

Before Jean knew it she was tackled to the ground. The brunette, Rogue, was on top of her. She removed a glove and made to touch Jean—

**DON’T TOUCH US** _, it cries._ **YOU HAVE NO RIGHT** _. It summons a blast of fire, one that hits the attacker square in the face. It takes control of the body, filling it with power, despite her protests. Flame surrounds them once again, and their attackers begin to back away. It is too late._

“Calling in SHIELD,” said the tailed one. “ _Mein Gott_ , this is serious. I think… I think Magnus himself may want to see this.”

_It summons a blast of energy, sending their attackers flying. She calculates mentally, determines that the worst damage of the blast will be a few broken bones, and is relieved. And so she moves on and begins wrestling with it, fighting for control. She strains her brain harder than she thought possible, screams and writhes against the alien thoughts._ **INSOLENT CHILD. YOU WISH ME TO LEAVE? VERY WELL.**

Jean’s mind cleared for the first time in what had seemed like forever. She sighed, and buried her face in her hands. What was happening? Something had attached itself to her, no doubt, some sort of entity. It was all too confusing, and Jean had no idea what to do.

“My, that was quite impressive. Those were my best SHIELD agents, you know.” 

It was a familiar voice. One Jean had heard thousands of times before on the radio, on the television, delivering announcements for all of Genosha to hear. Slowly, she lifted her head and turned to look at Magnus, supreme ruler of Genosha.


	3. Introduction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus approaches Jean Grey with an interesting proposal.

“Magnus,” Jean breathed, her eyes going wide. In front of her was the man who had changed the world for every mutant. As supreme ruler of Genosha, he had crafted a mutant paradise, the most technologically advanced in the world, in the aftermath of the Human-Mutant war. His image and his leadership had guided everyone in Genosha, including Jean.

 

Magnus smirked joylessly. “I didn’t think you would know who I was,” he began. “Of course, it is preferable to my having to list all my titles.”

 

“Why wouldn’t I know you?” Jean said, somewhat confused. After all, it was hard to imagine someone on the face of the earth who didn’t know who Magnus was.

 

“Well, you came from out of the sky,” Magnus said evenly. “Would it be a stretch to have presumed you were an alien entity?”

 

“No, I guess not,” Jean said, looking down. She paused. Jean knew that he would want to know who she was, and yet she was hesitant to let him know. It was a gut feeling, and it bothered her because it made no sense. This was Magnus, supreme ruler of Genosha. If anyone could help Jean, it was him.

 

In the end, reason won over feeling. “My name is Jean Grey,” she said. “I-I’m a mutant, I was an astronaut aboard the Spacecraft 5381. We were flying in space when we met this…this…”

 

“Yes?” Magnus asked, clearly interested.

 

“It was like a flaming bird,” Jean said slowly. “The ship exploded and the others died, but I guess that thing must have augmented my powers somehow.” Jean couldn’t bring herself to mention the alien entity that was in her mind, no matter how much she told herself it was the right thing.

 

Magnus nodded slightly, and then began  to stare up at the sky, deep in thought. Jean held her breath. “I see,” he said finally.

 

“This is quite the predicament you have found yourself in, Jean Grey,” he said. “Your powers are powerful and volatile and they no doubt possess a danger to us all. To do anything but eliminate you may be putting us all in danger.”

 

Jean tensed, and a voice returned into her head.  **STRIKE THE OLD MAN NOW, LITTLE GIRL. WHILE HE IS SPEAKING.**

 

“However,” Magnus said. “You are a loyal Genoshan citizen, and beyond that, a mutant with great potential. It would be immensely cruel of me to turn my back on you.”

Jean smiled for what seemed like the first time in ages. It was a small, soft smile, but one that counted nonetheless. “What are you going to do, then?” she asked.

 

“I purpose that we work together, Jean Grey,” Magnus began. “Together we will look into the mystery of what you found in space. This incident will be made sure to never see the light of day. You will be invited as an intimate political councilor to the House of M, and live in my palace in Genosha. No doubt the media will be intrigued, but they will have no reason to suspect your true reason for being here.”

 

Jean nodded, taking it all in. “And I guess you expect me to accept without any protest?”

“My dear, you have little choice,” Magnus said. “I am making a very generous offer, and while you may choose to decline, do know that I will guarantee your destruction.”

 

Jean gulped and nodded. “I don’t doubt that,” she said, not being able to help that her voice sounded hollow.  **HE UNDERSTIMATES OUR POWER. WE CAN KILL HIM**.

 

“I agree,” Jean sighed. “This is too much for me to handle on my own. I need help.”

 

***

The flight to the Genoshan royal palace was a surprisingly short one. Jean was glad to leave the scorched area behind, and yet she felt a knot in her stomach as they approached the palace. She knew that what she was doing would change her life forever, and she couldn’t help but dread the uncertainty of it all.

 

“This way,” Magnus said as he motioned to an opening in the palace’s structure. Jean nodded and followed him as he went through it. They landed into a carpeted room, neatly and classically furnished. Jean heard a gust of air, and suddenly what looked like a much smaller version of Magnus was staring her in the face.

 

“Grandpa, who’s this?” He said, furrowing  his eyebrows. “I don’t remember seeing them on the guest registry—“

 

“Thomas,” Magnus began, staring down at the boy with piercing eyes. “This is a very urgent…guest of the House of M. Please alert the others.”

  
The boy, Thomas, gave Jean a quick confused glance and then sped away. Soon enough a bustle of people came through. Jean blinked rapidly, trying to process each face.

 

“Everyone, this is Jean Grey,” Magnus said.  “Her situation is a complex one, but suffice to say that she is a very powerful mutant who needs our assistance in gaining control of her powers. Her predicament is not to be revealed to the media or to anyone outside of our closest inner circle. To the outside world she will merely be a political advisor. Is this understood?”

 

All five of the assembled people looked at each other, and at Jean. A million thoughts were racing through Jean’s head. What if they turned on her? Much of this depended on their loyalty to Magnus, she knew. How many times had something like this happened before? Judging from the uncertainty in their glances, not often.

 

Eventually they all seemed to sigh and nod. Wanda examined all of them closely. Really, they needed no introduction, as the royal family of Genosha their faces had been plastered everywhere Jean went. There was Pietro Magnus, heir to Genosha’s throne, who seemed looked at Jean with the least amount of trust. Lorna Magnus seemed to be sizing Jean up and evaluating how much of a threat she could possibly be. The twins, William and Thomas, were looking at her with a mixture of curiosity and awe. Then there was Wanda Magnus, the only human child of Magnus, who seemed to look at Jean softly with something that almost bordered on sympathy.

 

“Wanda, darling, why don’t you show our guest to her room?” Magnus said evenly. “I think the Camellia suite will suffice.”

 

“Of course, father,” Wanda said. She turned to Jean. “Follow me, please.”

 

Jean nodded, and followed Wanda as she turned down a hallway. The entire palace was lavish yet tasteful, modern yet classic. Briefly, Jean wondered if Magnus had an interest in interior design.

 

“You must be exhausted,” Wanda said, turning back briefly to face Jean. Jean was surprised that the princess even said anything to her. No doubt Wanda feared Jean the least, at least ostensibly. But why? A part of Jean wanted to be suspicious, but another part of her was lonely and desperately needed someone she could trust.

 

“Yeah,” Jean breathed. “It’s been a hell of a long day.”

 

“Well, sleep up,” Wanda said with a small smile. “You’ve got a long day ahead of you.”

 

Jean nodded, and silently entered the room that Wanda had led her to.

 

“Goodnight, Jean Grey,” Wanda said as she closed the door.

 

“Goodnight, Wanda Magnus,” Jean whispered to herself as she laid down in bed.

 

Jean sank into a restless sleep. She had a dream about a bird in a cage, but upon waking she forgot it. 

 

 

 

 


	4. Conference

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jean and the House of Magnus have a press conference relating to her new appointment as an advisor as Jean and Wanda begin to inch closer together.

“Hey, Ms. Grey—wake up.”

 

Jean blinked herself awake. The first emotion that came to her was of vague disappointment. A part of her had desperately hoped that she would wake up in a completely different place, finding that everything that had happened to her was just a particularly vivid nightmare. The thought that she actually had to face what had happened to her—that was almost too much to bear.

 

“Ms. Grey, are you crying?”

 

Jean’s hand flew to her face. Huh. Jean hadn’t even noticed. She sat up and turned to face William Magnus, who was staring at her with concerned eyes.

 

“I guess I am,” she said shakily. “I hadn’t noticed, really.”

 

“I mean, if you need some time alone, I’ll just…” he gestured to the door.

 

“I’m fine, William,” Jean said, attempting a smile.

 

“Oh, call me Billy,” he said, blinking rapidly. “I mean, everyone does. Except for Grandpa, I guess.”

 

“Ok, Billy,” Jean said. “Thank you for waking me up, by the way.”

 

“Yeah, no problem,” Billy said with a nod. “I’ll, uh, leave you to get ready. There’s clothes in the wardrobe.”

 

Jean sighed and wiped the tears from her eyes. She couldn’t show weakness like that here, she thought to herself. After all, Jean mused, her apparent power was what was keeping her with them.

 

Slowly, Jean drew herself out of bed and examined her surroundings. There was a dull light emanating through the room. Not yet sunrise, then.

 

Jean walked across the room to the wooden wardrobe. It opened with something of a creak, and Jean briefly wondered how long it had been since someone had used it. There was only a single dress in the wardrobe, a bright emerald with detailed embroidery. Holding the dress in her hands, Jean saw that the embroidery detailed many planets and galaxies. Jean couldn’t help but wonder when the dress was made. Sighing, Jean put on the dress.

 

Jean opened the door and saw Billy waiting for her. She nodded to him silently, and he opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it. Billy lead Jean down the hall and down a flight of stairs to a relatively small room where all of the House of Magnus sat.

“Ah, Miss Grey,” Magnus said as she walked in. “Please, take a seat.”

 

Jean nodded, and took a seat at the only available seat, across from Pietro, who was glaring intently at Jean’s shoes. Trying to ignore it, Jean glanced at Wanda, who gave her a small smile. Jean tried to smile back, but found she couldn’t.

 

Taking her eyes away from Wanda, Jean found that Tommy was staring at her.

 

“Is something wrong?” she asked.

 

“Uh, no offense, Miss Grey, but like…” Tommy paused. “you look terrible.”

 

“Thomas,” Magnus said with a stern glare.

 

“Grandpa, someone had to point it out!” Tommy said. “She looks like she’s sick and we’re about to introduce her to Genosha.”

 

Jean blinked. She looked down at her reflection in the silver tray that was on the table, and nearly gasped. It looked as if she hadn’t slept in years. Her face was pale and blotchy and underneath her eyes were the darkest circles she had ever seen.

 

“I, uh,” Jean paused. “I didn’t sleep very well.”

 

Magnus nodded. “No doubt the past two days have been very taxing on you. Wanda, I’m sure there’s something you could do?”

 

“It’s called makeup, Dad,” Wanda said dryly. “Follow me,” she said, beckoning to Jean.

 

Jean nodded and began to follow Wanda through another door.

 

“Uh, your skin is darker than mine,” Jean began. “How are you going to—“

  
“Don’t worry,” Wanda said. “I’ll just use Lorna’s foundation.”

 

Wanda lead Jean to what reminded Jean of a fancy hotel bathroom, and motioned for her to sit. Silently, Wanda rustled through a rather large bag before pulling out several items of makeup. Staring into Jeans eyes, Wanda began to pat foundation on Jean’s face.

 

Jean could only remember one time when someone else had applied her makeup for her. Her mother had dragged to a makeup counter when she was fourteen, announcing that she was ready. Ready for what, Jean had no idea. It was a stressful time, Jean didn’t like the woman touching her face and she didn’t like how the makeup caked up on her face.

 

But with Wanda it was different. Wanda was gentle, patting on a small bit of foundation gently as she stared directly into Jean’s eyes. Jean looked away from Wanda’s eyes and felt a burning sensation in her cheeks.  

 

“You’re very beautiful, you know,” Wanda said softly.

 

Jean smiled for the first time in the day. “Well, so are you. And I look horrible right now.”

 

“I can fix that,” Wanda said with a smile. When she was finished with the foundation, she applied concealer, focusing on Jean’s under eyes. Wanda paused then, and examined Jean.

 

“Do you want me to do your eyebrows?” She asked.          

 

“My…eyebrows?” Jean said, confused.

 

Wanda nodded. “They frame your eyes.”

 

“Oh,” Jean said, pausing. “Well, ok then.”

 

Wanda pulled out a brow pencil and began to draw eyebrow hairs on Jean’s face. Jean thought it was strange, but obviously she wasn’t the expert. After all, Jean had never really thought about her eyebrows before. But apparently when you were a princess of Genosha you had the time to think about those things.

 

Silently, Wanda examined Jean and nodded.

 

“Ok, I think you’re done,” she said, showing Jean a mirror. “What do you think?”

 

“Wow,” Jean said. “I actually look human.” In fact, Jean looked better than human. Her skin was evened, her eyes seemed brighter, and she seemed to even have a subtle glow about her.

 

“Thanks for working your magic,” Jean said, smiling.

 

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Wanda said, running a hand through her hair. “Besides, it’s good for Genosha, right?”

 

Jean paused. “Right,” she said, finally.

 

Wanda sighed. “We should get going. The press conference will be starting soon enough.”

 

Jean nodded, and stood up to follow Wanda back out to the room where the rest of the House of Magnus sat.

“Wow, mom,” Tommy said. “I didn’t know you were so good.”

 

“Is that my lipstick?” Lorna said with a raised eyebrow.

 

“Maybe,” Wanda said, smiling.

 

“You look great, Ms. Grey,” Billy said with a nod.

 

“Thanks, Billy,” Jean said. “And really, you all should call me Jean.”

 

Jean though she caught Pietro rolling his eyes, but everyone else seemed to smile and nod.

 

“It’s time,” Magnus said, standing up. Everyone else stood up with the exception of Wanda. It wasn’t unusual either, considering how little time Wanda spent in the spotlight. Jean didn’t even know what Wanda’s voice sounded like before she met her.

 

Following Magnus’s lead, they all walked into a crowded conference room. Cameras flashed and Jean blinked rapidly, averting her eyes from the lights. Jean found that there was a table lined with placards, and she stopped in front of the one with her name. She was seated in between Billy and Tommy.

  
Suddenly Jean felt a pulsing sensation her head. It was a familiar sensation, one that immediately filled her with dread. **HELLO JEAN**.

 

  _Oh God,_ she thought. _Please go away._ **I WOULD SMITE ANYONE ELSE FOR SPEAKING TO ME IN THAT MANNER, JEAN.** _Go away go away go away_. **I COME BEARING A GIFT, JEAN.** _I don’t want it._ **YOU ALREADY HAVE IT, JEAN. I AM MERELY SHOWING YOU.**

 

Suddenly voices flooded Jean’s head.

_Who’s the lady?_

_My head itches—_

_Need to make my appointment before—_

_  
Jeez, not another redhead—_

_Wondering if maybe she would like to—_

 

 _Make it stop_ , she thought, struggling to appear neutral in the face of the hundreds, no thousands, watching her.   **ONLY YOU CAN DO MAKE IT STOP, JEAN**. _You started this, you made me like this._ **IRRELEVANT. IT IS YOUR POWER NOW. CONTROL IT.**

Jean felt like crying, but she grit her teeth, looked down and concentrated. She recalled briefly something a telepath had told her about how to erect mental shields. Jean began to imagine walls being put up in her mind. Good, strong walls. She thought of the thoughts colliding with the walls and disintegrated. Jean thought of this, over and over again, until she could feel the thoughts that were not her  own fading away.

 

Jean almost let out a sigh of relief, but caught herself. She eyed the faces in the audience, trying to see if they had caught her moment of weakness. A part of her knew she could use her new telepathy to scan their thoughts, but Jean was too afraid to try. They looked as if they hadn’t noticed, and Jean felt better.

 

Magnus cleared his throat and the murmurs in the room died down. Jean glanced at Magnus, who looked resolute as ever.

 

“Citizens of Genosha,” Magnus began, “we come to you today with news.”

 

He paused then, and looked around the room. “As many of you know, spacecraft 5381, a routine trade ship, met its untimely demise when there was a malfunction with the fuel tanks. Here with us today is Jean Grey, the only survivor of the crash who managed to survive by getting into a escape pod.

 

“Miss Grey landed in Genosha, where she was met by SHIELD operatives who gave her the proper medical attention. We are pleased to announce that Jean Grey is in optimal health, and we will be taking her on as an advisor to Genosha. Jean Grey boasts immense political knowledge of intergalactic planets and societies, and we are glad to have her. We are now taking questions.”

 

Suddenly there was a huge amount of voices.

 

“Magnus, your majesty, isn’t this a little sudden?” Came a question from a green-skinned reporter. 

Magnus sighed. “Perhaps yes, but the appointment of our advisors is left to the discretion of the House of Magnus, and I trust that you will not distrust our judgment.”

 

“Miss Grey, what exactly are you qualifications for this role?” Asked a purple-haired man.

 

“Um,” Jean said. Her head swam. “I minored in political science, and we studied a lot of politics at GASA.” She paused. “And of course I’m indebted to Lord Magnus for taking me in and helping me, but he does know best.”

 

“Jean Grey has had years of experience communicating with the Shi’ar and Skrull empires,” Lorna quickly interjected. “And many others, of course.”

“Right,” Jean said, feeling it was almost better if she said nothing at all.

 

Soon the questions shifted to other topics, such as Tommy’s latest shenanigans, the new park that was planned, and Billy’s upcoming marriage to the Skrull Prince Dorrek VII. Jean wasn’t asked any more questions, and she was glad. For all intents and purposes it seemed as if the public had accepted the story that had been given to them.

 

The meeting ended sooner than Jean thought it would, and as Magnus told the audience that they would be taking no more questions she breathed a sigh of relief. Jean stood up and followed the rest outside, back into the room.

 

Wanda was waiting there, and she nodded at Jean. 

“I think you did pretty good,” Wanda said to Jean.

 

“Really?” Jean said, surprised. “I thought I was pretty awful, after all, Lorna had to bail me out.”

 

“Well, you’re new to this,” Lorna said with a shrug. “It took us all a while to get the hang of it.”

Wanda nodded. “Tommy, for example, still needs to learn when to watch his tongue.”

“Hey,” Tommy interjected, “what I said about Victor von Dork was totally true.”

 

“’Totally true’ or not, we have relations to maintain,” Magnus said, running a hand through his hair.

 

“Is there anything else planned for today?” Jean said, looking around.

 

“Not really,” Billy said. “There might be some tourists coming through the palace, though.”

 

“Billy, Tommy,” Wanda began, “it’s time for you to do your homework.”

 

“Ugh,” Tommy said, rolling his eyes. “Fine.”

 

“Can you help us, though?” Billy asked. “We can’t figure out this one thing about adamantium.”

 

“Sure,” Wanda said. She then turned to Jean. “Hey, I need to help the kids now, but I was thinking maybe we could meet for tea in the garden in an hour?”

 

“Oh,” Jean said, blinking. “Uh, sure.”

  
Wanda smiled. “Alright.” She then followed her sons out of the room, leaving Jean to mull it over.

 

Jean wondered what Wanda could want. It was true that Wanda was a very isolated woman, and maybe she just wanted a friend. But was there something else? Jean couldn’t help but wonder if—

 

Jean felt a hand grabbing her shoulder and she whipped around to face Pietro Magnus. He was glaring at her intensely, and Jean couldn’t help but avoid his eyes.

 

“You, Jean Grey,” he said icily. “Stay away from my sister.”

 

Before Jean could say anything, he turned around and walked out, slamming the door behind him. 


	5. Adventure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despite being warned off by Pietro, Jean and Wanda go out together into the streets of Genosha. It goes about as well as you would think.

 

Jean blinked rapidly, and quickly glanced at the others in the room. They avoided looking at her, and shuffled out of the room quickly. Only Magnus remained, and Jean turned to him.

 

“Should I—“ she began, only to be cut off.

 

“Pietro is overprotective, he thinks too much,” Magnus said. “I will speak to him. Have no fear, Jean Grey. Feel free to meet with my daughter.”

 

Jean nodded. Somehow, though, she figured that she wouldn’t be any more favorable in Pietro’s eyes if she did go to see Wanda. But was there ever a chance he was going to like her? It seemed as if Pietro had disliked Jean from the start, after all.

Jean made her way back to her room. Briefly she considered taking a nap to pass the time, but Jean didn’t feel tired at all. Jean looked around the room, until she noticed a book shelf.

 

Jean walked up to the bookshelf, curious to see what the House of Magnus read in its spare time. It was pretty standard, Jean thought. There were things that would be obvious, such as Magnus’s own work, _The Mutant Declaration_ , as well as several collections of the essays of Charles Xavier. Others made sense, such as several historical accounts and military strategy books. The one thing that really surprised Jean was a copy of _The Once and Future King_ , which Jean vaguely remembered reading as a young teen. 

 

Jean paused, and then took out _The Mutant Declaration_. She supposed it could be useful as a refresher course, even though the work itself was massive. Jean flipped through the pages and found a random passage.

 

The passage detailed the importance of finding the right ruler. Humanity as a whole was unfit to rule itself, and as such, it was the duty of mutantkind to watch over them. There were, of course, exceptions to this, with gifted humans who were able to see the superiority of mutantkind.

 

Jean thought briefly of Wanda, and how difficult it must have been to be a human in a mutant’s world. She wondered why Wanda had chosen to side with the mutants during the war. If Jean was human, she thought, she wouldn’t want to see her own power go away like that. But then again, Wanda grew up with a mutant brother. Maybe it was different when family was involved.

 

Sighing, Jean decided to put the book away. Cramming wasn’t going to do her any good. After all, she was a good Genoshan citizen, what more could they expect?

 

Jean decided to reread _The Once and Future King_. She always liked the beginning best, it seemed to have the most hope in it. Jean remembered how she cried when she was reading the book and realized that Arthur’s kingdom would never last forever. Glancing up every now and again to look at the time, Jean read on. Jean found that she couldn’t really become absorbed into the book as she so often was; she was too busy checking the clock at irregular intervals.

 

Eventually it was time for the meeting. Jean stood up and straightened her dress. Then she turned to the mirror in the room and examined herself. Her makeup was still fine, but Jean wondered about her hair. Generally it hang quite limp and thin, and Jean couldn’t help but feel like her good makeup made her hair look even worse.

 

Sighing, Jean found something in the drawer labeled “volumizing hairspray.” Volume was good, right? It had to be if it was labeled that way. Jean held the spray close to her hair and sprayed. Before she knew it, her hair was covered in white film. It didn’t seem to be any more voluminous. Rubbing the whiteness into her hair, it seemed to go away, but her hair suddenly felt brittle. And there was a strong chemical smell that Jean couldn’t get rid of.

 

Time was running out. Jean didn’t want to be late. She found a hair tie and put her hair into the most inconspicuous ponytail she could manage. 

 

Jean walked out of her room and went down the hall, walking for about five minutes before she realized she had no idea where the garden was. Jean looked around, but found no one there to ask a question. Soon she was worried about not getting there in time.

 

**USE YOUR SKILLS, JEAN.**   _Not this again_ , Jean thought. **YOU HAVE GIFTS.** _I don’t know how to use them._ **THEN LEARN**. _Go away._ **MAKE ME.**

 

Jean felt a barrage of thoughts coming into her head. She could make out no words, only a roar of thought that overwhelmed her. Jean fell down to the ground, tears flowing out of her eyes. _What is this_? **THESE ARE MY THOUGHTS, JEAN**. **THE THOUGHTS OF ALL LIVING BEINGS.**

Blood began to drip out of Jean’s eyes, marring her vision. _No_ , she told herself. _I’ve done this before._ Up came the walls. Adamantium walls, she thought. She had to be stronger than this. She had to do better, fight harder. Jean swallowed the scream in her throat.

 

Jean didn’t know how long she was on the ground. It felt like a thousand years. The roar softened, turned dull, went down to a whisper. Then it was gone completely. Jean sighed. There was no time to waste.

 

_It has to look like nothing happened_ , Jean told herself. First and foremost was the blood. Jean hadn’t used her telekinesis in a while, but it was all she had. She concentrated on the thickness of her blood, its red color, the metallic smell and taste. Slowly, slowly, Jean lifted the blood off of her face and off of the floor. Then she felt the blood’s essence, the bonds and proteins that held it together. And she tore it apart.

 

There was no blood left. Jean smiled to herself. She’d never tried something like that before, and it worked perfectly on the first try. Propping herself up with her elbows, Jean stood up.

 

The only problem was that Jean still didn’t know where the garden was. And it seemed as if there was only one option to find out where. Jean paused. Did it really matter? Did she really have to go to see Wanda? Jean told herself it wasn’t that big a deal, and yet she couldn’t convince herself.

 

In the end Jean made up her mind. She had to use telepathy. She began to imagine the barriers in her mind, the walls, going down. Luckily the roar of thoughts from earlier seemed to have disappeared. In fact, Jean didn’t hear any thoughts. Jean then began to concentrate, searching for thoughts. Slowly but surely, Jean began to pick up Wanda’s thoughts. They sounded exactly like her voice.

 

Jean began walking in the direction where the thoughts were coming from. It was a surprisingly short walk to the garden. The garden was just as impressive as the rest of the palace, with exotic flowers in bright colors and intricate shapes. Wanda, sitting down at a table near the center of the garden, turned around as she heard Jean’s steps. Jean felt Wanda’s thoughts get louder and brighter, and Jean mentally commanded herself not to listen in.

 

“Oh, you made it!” Wanda said, smiling. “I was about to go looking for you.”

 

“Yeah, this place is huge,” Jean said.

 

“I should give you a tour,” Wanda said, her eyes widening.

 

“Right now?” Jean asked.

 

“Oh,” Wanda said, pausing in thought. “Well, you look kind of tired, and the press conference must have been stressful. Maybe tomorrow, then.”

 

Jean nodded. “Were you waiting very long for me?”

 

“Not too long,” Wanda said. “Billy was having a lot of trouble with physics, so it actually took longer than I thought it would.”

 

“Yeah…” Jean trailed off, and looked down at the table.

 

“Is something wrong?” Wanda asked.

“Um, well…” Jean began. She didn’t know what to say.

 

Wanda reached out her hand across the table and held Jean’s hand. “You know you can tell me anything,” she said. From anyone else, Jean wouldn’t have believed it. But even what she could sense of Wanda’s thoughts was trustworthy.

 

Jean sighed. “Pietro told me not to see you,” she said, avoiding Wanda’s eyes.

 

Jean glanced up quickly to see Wanda’s face, and saw her roll her eyes. “Ugh,” Wanda said. “Pietro has always been overprotective.”

 

“Really?” Jean said, conscious of her the warmth of Wanda’s hand in hers.

 

“Ever since we were very young, we only had each other,” Wanda said, sighing. “And ever since that changed, Pietro has had trouble adjusting. It took him forever to trust Lorna.”

 

“Is that why you don’t go out often?” Jean said, looking Wanda in the eyes.

 

“That’s part of it,” Wanda said as her thoughts turned more sober. “But I doubt dad would approve of his only human  daughter waltzing around out in the open.”

 

“You don’t like it, do you?” Jean said before she could stop herself. She knew she should have been watching herself, but Jean couldn’t help herself.

 

Wanda paused, shock vibrating off her thoughts. Then she sighed. “I hate it,” she said slowly. “It was easier when the twins were younger and I was with them all the time, but now they hardly ever need me and I spend so much time alone…”

 

Jean held Wanda’s hand more tightly. “Hey,” she said, “you don’t have to listen to them.” She paused then, feeling Wanda’s thoughts turn both hopeful and curious. “I mean, if you want to go out, you should go out.”

 

Wanda smiled cautiously. “I don’t know how I would,” she said. “I mean, we all usually go with guards, and if I asked they’d—“

 

“Hey, they don’t have to know it’s you,” Jean said, grinning. “I’m a telepath, I can make us look like other people.”

 

“You can?” Wanda said, obviously surprised. “I thought you were just telekinetic.”

 

“Uh, well yeah,” Jean said, looking down. “I think the thing I met in space gave me telepathy. I only noticed it today, really.”

 

“Ah,” Wanda said, pausing.

 

“Come on, Wanda,” Jean said, giving Wanda’s hand a squeeze. “It’ll be fun.” Jean had no idea where this bravery was coming from, but a certain giddiness was taking her over.

 

“Ok, ok!” Wanda said with a giggle. She looked around to see no one was looking. “Let’s do it.”

 

“What should I make you look like?” Jean asked.

 

“Hmm…” Wanda said, cocking her head to one side. “Oh, I know. Give me purple hair. I’ve always wanted to try that out.”

 

“Ok,” Jean said, beginning to concentrate. She’d never done it before, but creating an alternate image for herself and Wanda was surprisingly easy. For Wanda she created the image of a rough-looking punk woman with purple hair. For herself Jean created the image of a tall blonde woman with a cowboy hat.

 

“What do I look like?” Wanda said, noticing that Jean no longer had the same look of concentration.

 

“Here, let me show you,” Jean said, projecting the image into Wanda’s head.

 

Wanda blinked, and then grinned widely. “Wow,” she said. “You made me look badass.”

 

Jean smiled and shrugged. “Just what came to mind, I guess.” She nudged Wanda with her shoulder. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

 

Quickly, they snuck out of the private area of the garden to the crowded tourist area, Jean making sure that the guards’ minds were occupied. From there, they mingled with a group of tourists that were on their way out. A polite  man with tentacles asked Wanda what hair dye she used, and she replied that it was natural.

 

Bustling out of the castle, Jean saw Wanda blinking rapidly in the sunlight. She was grinning.

 

“Ok, where do you want to go?” Jean said, shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand.

 

“Oh, anywhere with people!” Wanda said. “I just really want to meet the citizens of Genosha.”

 

“Well,” Jean said, musing, “there is a bar I used to hang out a lot in. Bit of a hodge-podge, really.”

 

“That sounds perfect,” Wanda said enthusiastically as Jean began to doubt herself for suggesting the bar.

 

Jean and Wanda weaved through the crowd as Jean lead Wanda to the crowded subway system. Wanda was visibly fascinated, beaming and staring at everyone who passed by.

  
“Wanda, you have to act natural,” Jean said finally.

 

“Oh, I know, but it’s so hard!” Wanda said with a sigh. Jean couldn’t help but smile at that.

 

Jean led Wanda over to the bar, the _Thalia Bar_. Wanda gripped Jean’s hand tightly as they went in, and Jean could feel Wanda’s thoughts bubble up with excitement. The bar was a bit more sparsely populated then Jean was used to, especially for a weekend.

 

It looked as if everyone was keeping to themselves and quietly mulling about their drinks, hardly the atmosphere for social interaction. Wanda didn’t seem to notice at all, sauntering towards the bartender with a huge smile on her face.

 

“One…” Wanda paused, scanning her brain. Jean couldn’t help but peek, and she found Wanda searching for memories of what she used to drink.

 

“Shirley Temple?” Wanda said finally.

 

The bartender blinked. “That’s a kid’s drink,” he said finally, incredulous. “There’s no alcohol.”

 

“Oh,” Wanda said, flustered. “Then, uh, pour in some alcohol?”  
  
The bartender nodded slowly, and Wanda blushed and looked down. Jean approached the bartender with a smile.

 

“I’ll have the same,” she said, trying to make it as if it was the most normal thing in the world to order.

 

Wanda smiled at Jean and the redness in her face began to die down. Jean eyed an empty table, but Wanda walked right up to the bar and sat down next to a man in a business suit.

 

“Hi!” Wanda said, before Jean could stop her. “I’m… Valerie.”

 

“Hi,” the man grunted in response.

 

“Good day we’re having, right?” Wanda said, smiling a bit too wide. “Did you watch the press conference?”

 

“No,” the man growled. “I never watch any of the media that comes out of this brain-washed society.”

 

“What?” Wanda said, eyes wide.

 

“Oh, great,” the main said, rolling his eyes. “You’re just another drone of this corrupt system, aren’t you?”

 

“Excuse me?” Wanda said, standing up.

 

“You heard me,” the man said, standing up as well. “You disgust me, lady.”

 

Jean stepped forward, but before she could reach them Wanda had already punched the man in the face. The man lunged at Wanda, something she narrowly missed, and  crashed to the floor.

 

“She’s a loyalist!” He shouted, pointing at Wanda.

 

Suddenly a crowd of people were heading towards Wanda. Wanda grabbed a chair and smashed it over the head of the first person to reach her, and managed to kick the next person in the stomach. Jean stood there, mesmerized by how a human could take on so many mutants.

 

For a second it almost looked as if Wanda was going to win against all the people coming towards her. That was, at least, until Jean spotted someone with a beer bottle sneaking up behind her. Just as they raised the bottle, Jean screamed.

 

And just like that, they stopped. Everyone stopped, as if frozen in mid-air. Except for Wanda, who was waving her hand in front of the face of man who was frozen in the middle of recovering from a punch to his face.

 

“Did you do this?” Wanda said, turning to Jean.

 

“Yeah,” Jean said slowly.

 

“Dad wasn’t lying when he said you were powerful,” Wanda said, walking over to Jean.

 

“I guess,” Jean said, shrugging. “Look, we need to get out of here. I’ll erase us from their memories.”

 

“You can do that?” Wanda asked.

 

“Yeah,” Jean says. “I mean, I’ve never done it before, but it seems easy enough.”

 

“Ok,” Wanda said, twirling a finger in her hair while looking down. “I mean, I thought you were a telekinetic.”

 

Jean sighed. “So did I,” she said, smiling softly.

 

Wanda and Jean walked out of the bar, Wanda brushing broken glass off of her dress. Jean kept her head down, and this time, so did Wanda. The palace wasn’t that far away, but the sky was already turning dark.

 

“It must be past tourist hours,” Wanda said, looking at Jean. “How are we going to get past the guards?”

 

“I’ll make us invisible to them,” Jean said, brushing some hair out of her face.

 

“And then how will we get in?” Wanda said, blinking.

 

“I could…” Jean paused. “I could float us up, I think. With my telekinesis.”

 

“Really?” Wanda said, a little incredulous.

 

“Yeah,” Jean said. “Just don’t think any loud thoughts, ok? And uh… hold my hand.”

 

Wanda nodded and gripped Jean’s hand, which was cool to the touch. Jean signaled for Wanda to keep quiet and began to concentrate. Slowly, they began to lift up the ground and Wanda held Jean’s other hand.

 

_It’s ok,_ Jean told Wanda mentally. _Even if you let go, I’ll catch you._

Looking up, Jean guided herself and Wanda to the garden of the palace. Gently, she set them down. Jean looked around to make sure no one was watching, and began to concentrate.

 

“Ok, people should be able to see us now,” Jean said, turning to Wanda. “Oh, and you can let go of my hand.”

 

Wanda nodded, looking a little nervous, and let go of Jean’s hand.

 

“Ok, what should we—“ Jean stopped mid-sentence as she was pushed to the ground by a sudden force.

 

“What did you do to my sister?” Snarled Pietro Magnus.


End file.
